The Pity Party
by Crazybird101
Summary: Known as the wanted "Eggs Benedict" by investigatiors, Zach Bearington juggles with hiding a family of broken animatronics in his home as they try and heal from their shocking experiences underground, and trying to find closure for an incident from the 80s that tore his family apart and left him as an only child. Meanwhile, anger is still restless deep below ground...
1. Chapter 1

**Warning:**

 **Android Furry AU**

 **Personal Headcanons**

 **Some tweaked ingame dialogue**

 **Male!Funtime Foxy**

 **Timeline what timeline**

 **Language**

 **Slow updates**

 **Possible typos or writing errors**

 **All recognizable characters and locations belong to Scott Cawthon. Flames or complaints will be used to cook Fazbear's pizza for the fandom.**

 **X.X**

Zachary "Zach" Bearington was never one with bright ideas, impulsive and quick to later regret his actions over a bowl of popcorn while watching his favorite show. So when he got a job as a technician - which he has vague experience in the field - for a place full of "unique" animatronics in the middle of the night every week, it comes to no surprise that he instantly regrets signing his soul to Circus Baby's Pizza World the moment the keypad labeled him as "Eggs Benedict". The middle-aged man could feel the butters of rue trickling down his throat now.

A loud buzzing pulled him from his thoughts as the elevator started to slow in speed. The lights flicker overhead, briefly plunging the compartment into darkness between intervals, before giving out completely. Zach looked around the now darkened room. Only the red button by the doors gave any sort of light. The elevator gives one last rock before groaning to a stop. A catchy tune played softly from the speaker on the wall, and Zach can't help but bob his head to it until the peppy voice of Hand Unit spoke.

 _"You can now open the elevator using that bright, red, and obvious button. Let's get to work."_

Zachary walked over to the button and punched it. The doors shutter and open to reveal several outstretched layers of tape reading "Danger".

 _Great,_ he thinks. He search through the tape for a door, but quickly found a ventilation opening instead. He stiffen, hesitation washing over. He wasn't too _fond_ of tight spaces. Seeing no other way, the man relent and crawled in on all fours

The vent was surprisingly larger than it looked. He was really able to crawl instead of worming his way through. The vent felt like it could go on for miles. Zachary is quickly put on edge as he crawled further down, listening to his own movement reverberate off the metal walls.

Hand Unit's peppy voice comes as a relief, albeit an annoying one.

 _"Allow me to fill this somewhat frightening silence with some light-hearted banter: due to the massive success, and even more so the recent reopening, of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, it was clear that the stage was set - no pun intended -_ _for another contender in children's entertainment. Unlike most entertainment venues, our robotic entertainers are rented out for private parties during the day, and it's your job to get the robots back in proper working order before the following morning."_

Zachary would have happily killed him for that pun.

He reach the end of the vent, much to his relief, when he saw light spilling through the seams of a hatch, and helped himself into an oddly shaped room. The look of it made him feel like he was traveling under the ocean in a fancy sub.

 _"You are now in the primary Control Module. It's actually a crawl space between the two front show rooms. Now, let's get started with your daily tasks: view the window to your left."_

Four hatches, one on each wall, and two large dark windows on his left and right. A pair of lights above a grated fan gave off a greenish-gold light. Thick wires hung along the walls like vines; baby head models connected to these same wires blink like they are alive, giving Zach uncomfortable chills. A cartoonish gypsy prop on a table at the right of the room staring at no one with a wide smile. A security camera was blinking at him from the ceiling. Small screens lined above played mute static. He question momentarily on their significance before his eyes fell on the dominating mask in the center.

The clownish appearance offered little comfort over the pit of dread in his stomach as it grew the longer he stared into its eyeless sockets. Zach gladly switched his gaze over to the left window.

Invisible eyes watch him from the abyss.

 _"This is the Ballora Gallery party room and dance studio: encouraging kids to get fit and enjoy pizza. Let's turn on the light and see if Ballora is on stage. Press the blue button on the elevated keypad to your left."_

The man glance down at the keypad - he hadn't noticed it at first - and studies the buttons. The top blue one had a picture that was a white sun, and a bottom red one had a orange lightning bolt. He was curious to see what would happen if he pressed the red button, but refrained himself since it was his first day on the job and he didn't want to get fired just yet. He punch the blue button and a spotlight fills the Ballora Gallery with fluorescent light, shining on an empty pink stage.

 _Huh. I guess they're not back yet,_ Zach thought before shutting the light off.

 _"Uh oh."_ Hand Unit says over him, _"It looks like Ballora doesn't feel like dancing."_

 _You mean they're here?_ Zach turn the lights on a second time. As far as it reached: nothing. What Hand Unit says next makes him raise a stunned brow.

 _"Let's give her some motivation: press the red button now to administer a controlled shock. Maybe that will put the spring back in her step."_

"Say again?" he asked. These may be animatronics but he was still a man with morals.

He hovered a reluctant hand over the buttom for a moment, his throat going dry. Working for the humane society had introduced him to all kinds of abuse; electrocution wasn't anything new. It was the fact that he was being told to force the animatronics against their will made him debate with himself. Living or not, anything with the slightest hint of sentience should be neglected like _this_.

He shakes his head. _C'mon Zach, they're only machines! You're worrying yourself over how an AI would feel! You've done worse shit than this - get a hold of yourself!_

Still - he was left with a disgusting taste in his mouth when he slammed down on the button. Sparks flew from hidden sources when thicks wires jolt to life sending surges of electricity to the room. Electrons and Protons go to work filling the window with a blue flashling light show. Thankfully it was only brief. The electricity died with a steady hum.

 _"Let's check the light again."_

Pressing his lips in a tight line, the rookie hit the lights. The spotlight now showed five ballerinas on stage, all posing and twirling and dancing. Who he assume to be Ballora in the middle wore an expression of absolute calm and focus while balancing on the tips of her toes. Long arms arched over her head as she twirled in expert fluidity. She moved slower than the four at her sides, Edwin noticed. The angle where he stood made it look that she was in sync.

The four, two on either side of her, only did various bends and poses. Zachary suddenly felt he could watch her for hours and never get bored. It was entrancing - magical, even. He got the impulsive urge to break the window and go over for a closer look. There was something oddly hypnotic about her movements that made her so beautiful to watch, and he wanted to know why. He didn't realize he had kept the light running longer than he should until Hand Unit automatically cut the power to the left keypad, sending Ballora Gallery back into darkness.

"No!" He snapped in protest, "Why would you-" The man stops, realizing his stupidity over getting angry at himself for getting too absorbed in a mere mascot acting on programmed commands.

 _"Excellent. Ballora is feeling like her old self again, and will be ready to perform again tomorrow. Now, view the window to your right."_ Zach doesn't know what disturbs him more: Hand Unit's annoying enthusiasm, or the sudden heaviness that washed over after giving Ballora the shock.

He follows his new instructions, and felt a sense of uneasiness come over when he saw the window. Even in the dim light he noticed the cracks on the dingy glass, like someone had been trying to break it on more than one occasion.

 _"This is the Funtime Auditorium: where Funtime Foxy encourages kids to play and share. Try the light - let's see what Funtime Foxy is up to."_

The buttons light up and Zachary, begrudgingly, hit the lights. A second empty stage is revealed much to his dismay.

 _"Looks like Funtime Foxy is taking the day off. Let's motivate Funtime Foxy with a controlled shock."_

Zachary grumbled something inaudible as he hit the red button. The shock came and went in the blink of an eye, but it didn't make him feel any less disgusted with himself. He hit the lights again and is shocked to find a still empty stage.

 _"Let's try another controlled shock."_

Zachary obeyed out of confusion this time. Why didn't it work the first time like it did with Ballora? He waited for the buttons to light up before hitting the lights a third time. The spotlight showed no longer an empty stage, but a rather handsome looking white fox. He stood adorning a pink vest with white buttons, a pink bowtie tied comfortably around his neck, and dress pants that reach his ankles. He gestured and spoke to an imaginary audience of children, yellow eyes focused on no one, while saying things that are mute to Zach's ears.

A fluffy looking fox tail swayed lazily behind him, moving and wriggling like it had a mind of its own. Zachary could picture his five year old jumping on stage just to pet the tail. It's no secret that the Foxy character has always been his favorite. He even still owned a - now - rare 80s party mask he's kept since his early adolescent years.

 _"Looks like Funtime Foxy is in perfect working order. Great job!"_

Zachary moved his hand from the panel, shutting off the lights for Funtime Auditorium.

 _"In front of you is another vent shaft."_ The hatch unlocks itself. _"Crawl through it to reach the Circus Gallery Control Module."_

Zachary gave both windows a final glance before crawling into the vent. The pit of dread still lingered in his belly as he moved down the long shaft. He didn't know what sort of animatronic was waiting for him at the end. It had to be the one with the pigtails - Circus Baby, was it? He had to question on who would give a name like that to an animatronic mascot. It made him appreciate his full name more.

He hits his head on the ceiling in surprise when an automated female voice abruptly spoke.

-Motion Trigger: Circus Gallery Vent-

"Aaaah..." he hissed, rubbing the back of his skull. A warning would have been very nice then.

He eventually reach the Circus Gallery with an unwanted headache. The room was surprisingly not as small as he originally thought it would be; three large windows, a line of colored light bulbs, and a desk with various different controls he knew little about beeping in front. Light came in intervals as massive fan blades passed overhead.

 _"On the other side of the glass is Circus Baby's Auditorium. Let's check the light and see what Baby is up to."_

Zach press the lights button on the keypad. A single light buzzes on with unimpressive power that does little to brighten the room any better.

 _"Looks like a few of the lights are out, but we can fix that later. Let's encourage Baby to cheer up with a controlled shock."_

Zach wrinkled his forehead. How is that even fair? Just because he couldn't see the stage doesn't mean she's not there. Unless they had some sort of sensor on them. And the place had to have a bucket list of problems if even the guide says the lights would be fixed later, meaning never.

He gives a reluctant push of the shock button and the room outside is briefly lit up in blue light. The lights are activated next. Of course, nothing is shown.

 _"Let's try another controlled shock."_

Zachary groaned and repeated the process.

 _"Let's try another controlled shock."_

He repeats the process a third time with heavy reluctance. His head was starting to kill him now, and his stomach churned with self-loathing. "No hard feelings..." he murmured.

 _"Great job Circus Baby, we knew we could count on you. That concludes your duties for your first night on the job. We don't want you to leave overwhelmed. Otherwise, you might not come back. Please leave using the vent behind you, and we'll see you again tomorrow."_

Zach rubbed a tired hand down a stubbled cheek before wincing at a sharp stab in his head. It was throbbing by this point. He was definitely going to take some ibuprofen before watching the latest episode of _The Immortal and The Restless_. It'll take a mild headache to keep him from watching his favorite soap opera. The rookie got down and pushed open the hatch to let himself out. He gave the module one last look and something under the desk catches his eye. Something was blocking the space at the bottom. It looked like a large scrap of metal with holes.

"Huh. I wonder why that's there?" he murmured.

His heart nearly leaps out of his chest when he noticed something behind one of the holes: a large purple eye. He doesn't flee right away, only staring back in silence. Not wanting to take his eyes off whatever it was looking back at him. He suddenly felt more like an intruder then a newbie technician on his first day. They study each other back and forth, the moment feeling more awkward than frightening. Zach was almost tempted to say hello when the it suddenly blinks at him.

His blood runs cold when he is suddenly acknowledged by a small, accented whisper.

" _Someone is outside._ "

The man bolts into the vent in a rush of adrenaline while his heart made a run for the hills. He heard a startled gasp behind him, which is followed quickly by frantic movement and metal grinding on a hard surface. Minutes later, the hatch opens and closes again.

 _Oh God oh God oh GOD,_ he thought fearfully as memories of an event from his adolescent years flash before his panicking eyes; ragged monsters with sharp claws and teeth clawing their way through the vent, chasing after with dangerous jaws snapping hungrily - he could almost hear the deep laughter from one of them when the tip of a claw just barely misses the hem of his pants. His flashlight smacked against the side of his thigh, but stopping to grab his only weapon would only prove to be suicide. And unlike then when he was surrounded by friends, he was utterly alone. No one would be here to help him if he got caught.

Tears spill from his eyes. Like any human, he didn't want to die. Not by the hands of animatronic monsters like...like... Karma really does have a way of getting back at people. Zachary almost wanted to laugh.

A hand suddenly latches itself onto his ankle in a ironclad grip. Gloved nails dug through the material of his sock and into his skin, making sure of itself that the grip won't be so easy to loosen. The man let out a deafening scream and began wildly kicking his legs in an attempt to free himself. He cursed and screamed and kicked, but the hand held on in stubborn determination.

He is then pulled back with a rough yank that makes him hit his face on the floor.

"NO NO NO! GOD, NO! PLEASE, GOD, PLEASE!" he wailed as he was being pulled back to the Circus Gallery. He tried kicking harder, but his legs had tired out. Grabbing onto walls or floor proved futile at the speed he was being pulled back. The man lets out a mournful sob that echoed down the shaft. He clung to the hope that the camera would pick it up and someone would be sent down, but he knows it will never happen.

It's companies like these that have a habit of sweeping things under the rug and raising salaries to keep workers hushed about it. His death would be labeled an accident, and people wouldn't bat an eye because the risk of death and injury came with being a technician. He knew what he was diving into when he signed those damn papers. He would never see his kitten, friends, or the animals at the Humane Society again. And his body? If there's anything left it would be given a one-way ticket to the furnace.

His hits the floor with a smack. He doesn't get a moments relief when he is roughly turned on his back and quickly straddled on his belly. Gloved hands cup his stubbled face as a young woman with strawberry pigtails entered his vision. Zachary blinked away the last of his tears and got a better look of the painted face before him.

Apple green eyes stared back pleading and afraid. His eyes followed the thick line of dry blood - he guessed it's blood - trailed from the bottom of her painted nose down to the end of her chin. Some spots looked wet in the light. It was still fresh.

"I don't recognize you. Will you help us?"

 **X.X**

 **I should have been using my time to work on Out of the Blue, but instead I spun out this garbage. No, I haven't given up on Out of the Blue - life, school, and writer's block have been huge thorns in my side. This is a side project that occurs in the same Alternate Universe as Out of the Blue, hence the small tweaks I added to Hand Unit's dialogue. HOWEVER. It will have no connection whatsoever with that fic. Same universe, separate stories. No, this is not a Baby x Eggs Benedict fic either. This will NOT be a love story. Ships will be hinted at or implied, but won't play a huge role in the story. All but one, which I will not name ;p**

 **For those new to my fnaf Android Furry AU: they're basically still animatronics, but highly advanced lifelike androids. They age until a certain number. They can eat, drink, sleep, shower, use the bathroom, like people can, but not as much because they're not dependent on it for survival, and can go for weeks, even a month, without doing any. It doesn't mean they're invincible or whatever. They can get sick - even die. They can feel pain both physically and mentally, which will play a part in this fic. Also I'm making Funtime Foxy a male in this fic because I already made Mangle female, and Funtime Foxy looks masculine to me. So yeah. If you have a problem with that then go find a fic that does have female Funtime Foxy instead of telling me "FUNTEM FOXI IS A GURL!11 IT SED SO IN TEH GAME!111!" in the comments. Thanks. Ennard will be in this fic as well, but as a separate animatronic instead of the eldritch horror we get in the game. And no possessed animatronics, too. That's a biggie in this AU.**

 **I can promise you that this fic will not be one of those "Survive Five nights and walk out with the animatronics in the end" fics. This one, as you may tell, is going to be different. I will not say how - I will leave that for you to decide. I have an idea on what I want for this fic, just don't expect fast updates with life and classes and writer's block, and -cough- Pokemon Moon -cough-. And I will leave with this parting message: there will dark and sensitive themes in this fic. All of which will be handled maturely. There will be trigger warnings if need be at the start of a chapter for those who are genuinely sensitive to these topics.**

 **If you've all the way up to here: congratulations. Here is a prize for enduring several minutes of boring author ramblings. *Throws out exotic butters***


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, another chapter. Sorry I'm late. This went through different revisions until I finally found one I was satisfied with - there's probably gonna be a lot of that here. My mind is literally an open door of ideas. I've also been very busy with school work since the semester ends next month, I've been preparing my schedule for next year. Also, I've caught a cold ;-;. Now I have to suffer with drinking the orange medicine my mom gives me...*shudders* I'm kinda woozy right now, so be a bit wary for any probable writing errors or typos. I literally worked all Sunday on this chapter, and I need to work on a paper for Tuesday starting Monday...which is now. It's, like, 1 in the morning where I'm at. But I have my Toy Bonnie plush beside me so that's okay! :D**

 **I originally wanted to introduce Ennard in this chapter to see the sort of villain I'm gonna interpret him to be, but then I scrapped the idea and decided to try and work on his character a little more. For those who skipped my authors notes last chapter, I am fully aware that Ennard may or may not be a separate animatronic. In this AU he is a separate animatronic with his own name. Also there are only two Bidybabs in this universe, and they are both agender. So their pronouns are: they, them, their, they're.**

 **Thank you for your patience and support. Enjoy the new chappy.**

 **Trigger Warning:**

 **Implied Abuse**

 **X.X**

Her voice, despite the pleading undertone, was oddly lulling. The question sounded more directed to herself than to him. Zach stared at her staring at him, feeling no longer afraid but still on edge. The silken material of her gloves tickled his sweat damped skin as she cradled his face in her hands like a precious gem.

"What is your name?" she asked, this time speaking to him directly and not to herself.

Zach didn't know what compelled him to answer. Hearing her voice gave him the same feeling he had felt when he watched Ballora dance on stage. Instead of feeling entranced by her voice, he felt he could trust her.

"My name is Zachary." he answered, sounding calm but still shaken.

"Hello Zachary, my name is Circus Baby." Baby said, saying it like they were meeting at his birthday party. She look nothing like in the posters. Her appearance was more human then anything. She couldn't be no taller then the height of his chest; being slimmer and lighter. He saw no hint of seams or mechanical parts when he quickly raked his eyes up and down her body. Her skin looked real to the touch, despite the abnormal pale white pigment. Lastly, the emotion in her voice when she spoke seem too real for a mere animatronic to replicate on it's own.

"A-are you going to kill me now?" Zach asked. "I-I-if this about me trying to shock you earlier, I'm sorry. I was following orders, I had to do it!"

Baby removed her hands from his face and adjust herself on his stomach to straighter; Zach felt increasingly sweatier by the minute. It's been a while since he was _this_ close to a girl in a long while. Remembering his predicament, he shakes away those thoughts quickly. Now isn't the time to reminisce on his freshman year at University.

Baby gave an assuring smile that felt genuine. "You're more important alive than dead." is all she answers with. Zach opened his mouth to ask what she meant by that, but the sound of whispering suddenly catches his ears.

"Is it the same person?" a heavily accented voice asked.

"He looked new when I saw him." answered a similar voice.

His breathing hitched. "Who's back there?"

Baby suddenly had an embarrassed look. "Silly me, I almost forgot to introduce you." She turn around and gestured for the twins to come out of hiding, to which they both comply to. They walk on either side of Baby and stop at her sides. "These are the Bidybabs: Bitty and Biddy."

Zach tried not to wince when he looks at the toddler-sized animatronics. They were frighteningly babyish looking, with bulbous violet eyes and grinning teeth. He had seen them on the Baby poster in the elevator. Like Baby, they too looked more human then animatronic. Despite looking similar in appearance, there was one difference that stood out: one had a subtle intelligence to them, the other look to be well acquainted with mischief.

"Bitty, Biddy, this is Zachary."

"Hello!" greeted Bitty, the mischievous twin.

"Helloooo theeeere~" Biddy, the dexterous twin, sang.

Zachary smiled awkwardly at both with a feeble wave. This...certainly isn't how he expected his first night to turn out. He is more surprised that he is even still alive right now. Bitty regards him silently for a moment, studying him with their big eyes, before tugging on Baby's skirt for her attention. She leans down for Bitty to whisper loudly in her ear.

"He looks like a fruit loop."

Zach's face wrinkles in confusion. "What did you just call me?"

Biddy reels around Baby on the other side to glare at their twin. "You dolt! Even I could hear that from here!"

Bitty casts them a dirty look. "Quit calling me a dolt you twit!"

"You're the one who doesn't know how to lower their voice properly!"

"Well I'm stronger than you and I don't blind myself when I look through the holes on the metal door!"

"You always make me look through the holes!"

" _ **Ahem**_."

Zach felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. Baby's irises were now marbles. He didn't see how it happen; he guess it must be some useless feature they added or forgot to remove. Either-or, it made her look terrifying. The Bidybabs had their tails between their legs as they cowered and trembled under her menacing stare. What frightened Zachary more was how dead silent she was. No angry reprimands or nagging rants, only a silence that made it scary to breathe aloud.

Biddy swallowed and turned to Bitty first. Swallowing their pride, they stammer, "I'm sorry for c-calling you a dolt, B-Bitty."

Bitty didn't take long to reply. "Thank you, Biddy. I-I'm sorry for calling y-you a twit."

"It's ok. T-thank you for the apology, Bitty."

Baby's eyes return to normal after a few flutters of her eyelids. "Go back to the stage. There are still things I need to discuss with our guest." The twins nod silently. Propping himself on his elbows, Zach watched the twins run to a spot in the room that wasn't touched by light. One of the Bidybabs pulls out a loose piece of the wall to reveal a hollow entrance to the stage; something Zach is sure the company isn't aware of. Bitty paused half-way glance around their shoulder and regard the man one last time. They giggle innocently, but what they say next gives him chills.

" _We'll see you again soon~_ " It's not a threat, it's a promise. They close the opening behind them with the wall piece and scamper after their twin in the dark.

Above him, Baby let out a tired sigh and narrow in the direction of the secret door. "I will like to apologize for their behavior. They're normally better behaved then this."

"No - it's fine." Zach said dismissively. "Uhm... Could you get off my stomach now?"

She eyes him warily. This was her first time properly conversing with a human out of character in, what, years? She lost track of the days after seven months. "Do you promise not to flee when I do?"

"Do I look young and arrogant?"

"I've met arrogant humans who were old like you." Baby smiled slyly at the man's scowling expression as she climbed off his belly to stand up.

Zach felt instant relief once the pressure on his abdomen was lifted. He sat himself up, popping a few joints as he did. He was tired, physically and mentally. He pulled back his sleeve to check the time on his watch and his heart nearly bursts from his chest. There was still thirty minutes until _The Immortal and The Restless_ was on. But soap operas were the least of his worries, for now. Baby was watching him, arms crossed and fingers drumming, waiting for him to make a move. Zach locked eyes with her as he got to his feet. Her mouth drops open a little when he towers over her, she ducks her head from him to hide the embarrassment on her face.

"So... What were you guys doing away from the stage?" Zach asked.

"Hiding..." Baby answered, "We thought you were someone else."

The man raised a bushy brow. "'Someone else'." he repeated.

"This place isn't what it seems. _We're_ not what you humans see us as." Baby closed her eyes slowly. How is she going to do this? There are a lot of flaws in her plan she didn't bother to acknowledge. How was she going to free the others? Where were they gonna go after? And the man. How is she going to convince him to help? In fact she hardly even knows him. What if he turns out to be as bad as the people here? A dry itch under her nose pulls her from her thoughts. She gives it a quick scratch with her index finger. When she pulls it back her heart sinks at the little red flakes on her fingertip.

 _Oh stars, I didn't clean my face did I?_

"Is that blood on your face?" Zach took a step closer to have a better look in the light. Baby, feeling apprehensive now, took a step back.

"It's not important." she said quickly, already feeling more embarrassed.

That doesn't stop Zach from investigating further. Red flags were raised high and mighty around her. He gently lifts her chin to get a closer look. She looks at him, watching his face for a reaction. His eyes widen a little when his worse suspicions are confirmed. "Wait. That is blood isn't?" His grey eyes then widen when a horrifying realization hit him. "Good god," he whispered, "Did someone do this to you?" He caught a quick glimpse of the fear-the same fear he's seen in many neglected animals-in her eyes before she pulled away.

"We've had people like you come before: the curious, the ignorant. They never stay for long. Bad things happen to them. Bad thing always happen to them; bad things will happen to you too, Zach. You're all like walking pints of ice cream waiting to be eagerly opened and scooped for a child on their birthday." She turns, tears brimming her eyes and ready to fall. "If you stay here the rest of the week: you will die."

Zach's mouth goes bone dry, his stomach is churning up a storm. He grips on a nearby pipe for support as he feels himself ready to hurl his dinner all over the floor. Nothing has made him feel this sick since visiting an illegal slaughter house down south with his team to rescue the remaining horses there. He's seen the worse humanity can do to animals, yet it takes her only a few words to make him lose his appetite.

"Why... Are you helping me now?"

Baby sniffled softly. "I don't want it to keep happening again."

"Then why are you going after the technicians?"

"We... We don't want to hurt anyone. I've ever harmed a single human since I've been here. The others, though..." She looks up at him with a sad expression. "They don't like doing it, but they'd do anything to get out of here. It's all we want, really: to be free." There's an irritating itch under her nose. "Pardon me..." she murmured, turning around to scratch under her nose again. Zach heaved a sigh, reached into his pocket, and took out a pocket-sized bottle of water he bought earlier from the vending machine when he came in; he had forgotten about it until now. "Do you have a cloth I could use?"

The doll-like animatronic nodded and pulls a dark blue cloth from her pocket. "I have a handkerchief..."

Zachary smiled a half-lidded. "That'll do great."

The two sit themselves on the floor where Baby allows Zach to clean the blood off her face. She doesn't try to move as the man work carefully to scrub the ugly stain off without causing harm to her skin. A rare peace had fallen over Baby. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling hugging her all around. It was like meeting with an old friend, embracing them and not wanting to let go again. Baby tried to enjoy the moment for as long as she could, knowing it wasn't going to last for very long.

"So... What happened? Did you fall or something?" Zach asked, breaking the silence.

"I...yeah. I fell."

"Must have been a pretty hard fall if you lost this much blood."

"I can be clumsy sometimes..." Baby bites the inside of her cheek nervously. Her conscience screamed at her to tell the truth. Show him your new marks! Tell him how much _he_ hurts you! Tell him! Tell him! Tell him! They are just begging to get out.

 _I can't..._

Zach added a little more waters to the cloth. It felt nice in his dry hands. His skin was always worse in fall. It dried a lot faster, his knuckles would chap. His elbows would be a pain to move because of how dry the skin can get. His mother would always have to be the one to remind him to put on lotion, much to his annoyance. He silently wondered if Baby's skin every got dry. By this point he was starting to question if she's even a machine at all. Her skin felt real, but it had something fake about it too. Synthetic perhaps?

His thoughs then trail to the blood. It was nearly gone from the top of her lip, leaving the chin next. God, who would hurt someone like this? He normally wasn't one to jump to conclusions, and he has been wrong before, but he could see the lie before it even left her little lips. Bad things are happening down here, and these animatronics are suffering. No one should have to be electrocuted like that. All of it seemed wrong.

"Baby?"

"Yes?"

"When you had me pinned earlier, you asked if I could help you." Zachary thought he something twinkle in Baby's eyes a moment. She stayed silent, but urged him to go on with her hand. He swipes his tongue over his dry lips before speaking. "I want to...try and help."

Baby thought her mind was finally starting to play tricks on her. Without much thought, she rest a hand on his cheek and began to rub slowly. Zachary felt slightly confused by this, and a little weirded out. As if sensing his discomfort Baby removed her hand from his cheek. "I just needed to see if you were real." she said quietly.

Zach gaped at her for a bit, but then nodded slowly in understanding. "I'm here. What do you need me to do?"

Almost immediately, like an excited child, Baby blurted out, "Can you take us outside with you?"

"Is that it? You just go outside?"

"And take us some place far away from here. It can be anywhere just as long as we're not found." Words can't describe the emotion running through Baby at the moment. She can hardly believe this is happening. She was so lost in her own excitement that he she failed to notice self-doubt in Zachary's eyes.

He didn't necessarily know any places they could hide at. They wouldn't surviving long alone in the forest at his fishing cabin. He wasn't exactly rolling in money to buy them their own place, either. He did have one place: his house. It was crazy, but he'd rather have animatronics for roommates than leave them on the streets to let god knows what happen to them. Besides, his neighbors didn't live that close to him. What did worry him is how he's going to cover up tracks. The building is practically loaded with security cameras. One at the elevator, one at the entrance, and one scouring the entire parking lot. If he got, it would be the end of his life. Companies like these aren't very forgiving ones. A part of him wants to change his mind. The other part wants to be able to sleep at night for the rest of his life.

 _ **You just don't want to feel guilty about leaving someone behind again.**_

...Well, he wasn't voted Class Idiot in high school for nothing.

"How many of you are there?" he asked.

"Eleven - that's counting the four Minireenas, two Bidybabs, and Bon-Bon."

Zachary paled. His car wouldn't be able to fit all them. Unless he borrows his friend's station wagon using an elaborated excuse that he needed to transfer some important work home and pay him later in lunch. Yes. That's what he will do.

"You're going to have to wait until tomorrow night. I'm gonna need to get a bigger car to fit all of you.

The light in Baby's eyes dims with worry. "You're going to come back...right?"

"Of course. I'm a man of my word." His answer seem to satisfy Baby enough for her to offer her hand and help him up. He checks the time on his watch, his eyes nearly bulge from their sockets. "Shoot, I gotta get going. Do you want to meet here for tomorrow?"

"That would be golden." Baby smiled faintly, the anticipation already bubbling in her chest.

 _We are finally getting out._

 _We are going to be_ _ **free**_ _._


	3. Chapter 3

**AGAIN WITH THE REVISIONS. And Pokemon Moon and papers and home life. I had to split the chapter because I felt it was starting to drag on Dx. Either way, thank you for your continued patience. Enjoy.**

 **Trigger Warning:**

 **Implied Abuse**

 **X.X**

 _The elevator stopped. You know the routine. You can get out now, or whatever. Stay here if you want."_

Zach scrunched his forehead and pinch the ridge of his nose in annoyance. That is _just_ what he needed on a stressful night like tonight: a whiny kid going through a quote unquote "phase". He deals with enough of those already in the form of whiny "pet owners" trying to justify having a thick chain around their dog's neck. Yeah - they are the _worse_ kind of annoying.

 _Well, at least it didn't come out with "nagging mother-in-law" or "whiny girlfriend",_ Zach thought jokingly in an attempt to make something positive out of this. He hit the button for the door, entered the vent, and began the long crawl in the pitch darkness to the primary Control Module. The Angsty Teen spoke with an air of pessimism in his voice that doesn't go unnoticed.

 _"So, funny story, a dead body was found in this vent once."_

Zachary stops mid-way.

 _"Okay, so, not that funny, but, it's a story."_

The man opened his mouth to respond, but decides arguing with an automated voice isn't worth the energy, and continued crawling until he reached his destination. Right away he noticed something was off - _very_ off. Could it be the blinking heads on his left? Was it the widely grinning gypsy on his right? Glancing at both, he found nothing different. The same went for the room itself: still small and green and cluttered. But the clown mask was twice as unnerving to look at now.

 _"Okay, let's start with your nightly chores. You should check on Ballora and make sure she's on her stage, but whatever."_ Angsty Teen drawled over the speaker.

Turning to the buttons, a wave of hesitation fell over the man. He hit the lights and stumbled back in surprise, cursing under his breath. The brief flash of light caught Ballora behind the window - silhouetted - posed with her arms arched high over her head.

 _"Huh... I guess Ballora has better things to do. Let's zap her. That should be fun."_

"To hell with that." He needed these animatronics to trust him if he's going to be taking them home with him. A part of him wondered if Baby even told them he was breaking them out. Turning away from the panel, Zach crouched in front of the vent to the Circus Gallery and tried opening the hatch with his hands.

-Access: Denied-

"Joy." he retort cynically before returning to the button panel. He look in the direction where Ballora was posing and gave an apologetic look. Maybe if he did it quick enough it would end faster. "I don't know if you can hear me through the glass..." he murmured as he rest his hand over the button, ready to press. "...I'm sorry." Was he the first technician who's ever said that and meant it? It probably wouldn't even matter by this point. What's done is done. Pressing the button, he is again left with a bad taste in his mouth.

He waited for Angsty Teen to give the ok, or make some apathetic remark towards her suffering. What he got instead was a string of deep, distorted gibberish that made him crease his forehead in confusion at the speaker on the wall. "The hell?" he muttered to it.

 _"Let's check on Funtime Foxy. Make sure he's ready for show time tomorrow."_

Hesitantly, he pressed the lights for Funtime Auditorium. The outline of Funtime Foxy was captured on the other side glaring through the window, tail swishing furiously behind him like an angry animal. Let's hope the glass is as strong as it looks, the man thought as his eyes fell on the cracks in the glass.

 _"_ _ **GREAT. GREAT.**_ _"_ Angsty Teen said, his voice going awry again. Seriously, how big are the paychecks if these people can't even bother to fix the panel in the elevator?

 _"... There seems to have been a problem with the voice synthesizer. Default settings have been restored. Please proceed through the vent ahead of you to Circus Baby's Auditorium."_

Zach never felt more relieved to hear that obnoxious voice full of scripted optimism and leaves the room through the vent. He had mixed feelings about seeing Baby again. She had an air around her that made it hard not to be a little cautious about her. He couldn't help but also feel worried for her well-being after seeing how she acted towards his question about her injury. He didn't need a degree in psychology to know that her answer of "I fell" translated to "Someone hurt me but I'm too scared to say whom".

The man worked himself further down the vent, biting his bottom lip out of bad habit to keep his mind straight and focused for tonight. He parked his friend's station wagon farthest from any lamppost or camera, removed the license plates at a rest stop a mile from here, and walked into work wearing a cap and a pair of bike shades he found in the car. Admittedly he didn't think any of this through and took the precautionary steps he deemed important. Hopefully the animatronics would go along with whatever plan he comes up with during his time here.

-Motion Trigger: Circus Gallery Vent-

 _"Circus Baby had a busy day today! Let's check the light, and make sure she's in proper working order."_

"Baby?" he called, his voice a low whisper. There's a brief moment of silence, but his eyes notice a hunched shape at the foot of the button panel. It was Baby! The clownish animatronic sat hugging her legs to her chest and her face buried in her arms. She shakily lift her head at the sound of his voice, loose strands of hair falling over her eyes like a wavy curtain. She looked at him like he was a dream come to life with both eyes shimmering in disbelief.

"You...came back. You really came back." She hugs herself tighter and flickers her gaze to the floor. "I didn't think you'd really come back. I thought..."

 _She's shaking and clearly distressed,_ Zach noted over her quiet ramblings. She was acting so different from last night. Jittery, maybe even in denial. He takes a cautious stride towards her. "Are you hurt?" he asked straightforwardly.

Baby barely had time answer when the man kneeled in front of her on one knee. He takes her face into his hands and examines it in the little light available to him. He handled her with the gentleness of a worried parent looking at a scraped knee, keeping his grip light as possible as to not invoke any discomfort or panic. This was the first time someone has treated this gently in what must be years. The feeling was almost alien to her - that's long it's been.

Zach rest the back of his hand on her forehead. His face creased in concern, and confusion, at a small patch of heat that can only be a small fever. Examining her closer, Zach noticed a lingering wetness her eyes that had been tears. He looks her dead in the eyes, asking in a serious voice, "What happened?"

Baby stared back at him through her bangs struggling to form words, like her voice had been stolen from her. "The lights." she managed to whisper out.

"Don't try and stray off topic, Circus Baby. If we're going to be working together tonight you need to be honest with me."

"No. You _need_ to turn on the lights." Baby said in a voice above a whisper. She surprises Zach next when she places a hand on his shoulder to pull him close until she was able to bring her lips to his ear." _Trust me_."

As though under a spell, or pulled by unseen puppet strings, Zach nodded slowly and complied to her request. The button gave a weak crackling sound when pressed, but no electricity.

 _"Oh Circus Baby, we aren't here to play hide and seek. Let's encourage Baby to come out of hiding with a controlled shock."_

Zach raised a brow at the lack of flashing blue sparks. It left him feeling both grateful and scratching his head. First the Angsty Teen voice, now the shocks? Hand Unit orders for another controlled shock that only yielded similar results when the button is pressed again. Either something was going on, or this place had too low of a budget to get anything fixed here.

"I hope you're not afraid of the dark." said Baby.

"What do you mean?"

 _"There seems to be a power malfunction that is affecting our ability to properly motivate Baby. Please stand by, while I reboot the system. I will be offline momentarily during this process. Various other systems may be offline as well, such as security doors, vent locks, and oxygen. Commencing system restart."_

The power goes out faster then Zach thought possible. He reached for his flashlight on its holster, but gasped when Baby grabbed his wrist to stop him. "Don't. We can not be seen leaving." Baby's green eyes illuminated the darkness around her face, casting a green hue on Zach's skin as she looked at him. She then pressed her index finger to her lips in a "shh"ing gesture before motioning to the speaker.

"Listen."

The silence is shattered by the mechanized voice from the vent droning loudly in the absence of humming machinery and whirring fans.

-Motion Trigger: Entryway Vent-

-Funtime Auditorium Maintenance Vent: Opened-

-Ballora Gallery Maintenance Vent: Opened-

In the glow of her eyes, Zach noticed a hint of a smile on her sullen features. "This is the only time we will be able to enter the other rooms. We must get everyone out and to the elevator before everything is rebooted."

"How'd you know this would happen?"

"I promise I'll explain once we're out." Baby gave a noticeable shudder as she slowly turned to the windows that overlooked her stage. "It isn't safe for us to talk here anymore."

The rookie tensed at the underlying trepidation in her tone. He felt a cold chill run down his spine, and could have sworn he felt eyes study him from the other side of the middle window. What happened next comes as a shock, making every muscle in him freeze, and his eyes widen into saucers. Baby's voice cuts through the darkness like a knife; loud, authoritative, and distant.

"I don't recognize you. You are new. I remember this _**scenario**_. However, it's a strange thing to want to do, to come here. I'm curious what events will lead a person to want to spend their nights in a place like this _**willingly**_. Maybe curiosity, maybe ignorance."

Zach doesn't dare take his attention off the window. Like staring a gorgon in the eyes, he had become stiff as a statue. The man was afraid that if he did so much as blink something would lunge at him through the glass for even daring to take his attention off of them. Forgotten to him was Baby's grip on his wrist. It takes her a few small tugs on his arm to bring him out of his shocked state.

"Everything is okay. I'm still here." she softly assured. She then slides her hand into his and squeezed as though to confirm it. The man relaxed to her touch, he still doesn't take his eyes off of the window as the Baby doppelganger spoke.

"There is a space under the desk, someone before you crafted it into a hiding place and it worked for him. I recommend that you hurry though. You will be safe there, just try not to make eye contact, it will be over soon. They will lose interest."

"Now's our chance." the real Baby whispered. "We leave now, they will think we're the Bidybabs."

Zach knelt on the floor and hunched low enough to be out of sight. "I forgot to ask: where are those two?"

"Oh right." Baby let go of his hand and speed-crawled to the bottom of the panel, pulling back the crafted metal door to reveal the twins piled up on top of each other, sleeping. "Bitty, Biddy, it's time to go." She stirred the twins from their nap by gently shaking their little bodies. Bitty woke first and groggily lifted their head.

"Miss? Is the fruit loop here to take us?" they yawn.

"Yes." Baby replied softly, smiling at Zach's official nickname from Bitty. She waste no time ushering them out, despite them both being half-asleep, and closed the metal door. "Let's go." she said, giving Zach a nod. The man finally pulled his flashlight from it's holster; holding it has never felt so good. Light in hand, Zach enters the maintenance vent first. Baby coaxed the Bidybabs into following him and follows in last. She doesn't look back.

"Just so you know, your friends are probably going to try and kill me." Zach informed her, teeth clenched nervously and sweat already dotting his brow. He adds somewhat hopefully, "Unless you've already told them about me." His uneasiness grew when Baby stayed quiet.

"I haven't." she replied, embarrassment heavy in her voice. She really should have thought all of this through.

"Can we take a break? I'm tired, and my arms and legs hurt." whined Biddy.

"We're most to the Primary Control Module. I can the opening now." Zach replied.

The four slide out of the vent and into the pitch black room. The man groaned in relief as he stood up, stretching his arms high until his back gave a relieving pop. After following him out, Baby studied her new surroundings using the light illuminating from her eyes.

This was her first time being this far out of her room. It was nothing extraordinary, but it felt good to be someplace where the floor won't electrocute you. She shivered at the reality of it all - this is really happening. She's really getting out of here. No more controlled shocks, no more imprisonment, no more pain. She's going to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin again, hear the rush of leaves in the breeze, watch clouds pass by like balls of cotton floating in water. And best of all, **he** won't be able to touch her. **He** will never be able to hurt her again after tonight. Or so she hopes, from the bottom of her synthetic heart.

Her wrists still ached. Fresh marks bloomed across her skin like splashes of dry water paint in colors of purple and blue. It took all her self-control to not try and rub them in front of Zach and the Bidybabs. They would only ask questions, especially Zach. He doesn't need to know - no one needs to know! Talking about it would only bring back memories she _doesn't want_ to remember. And if Ballora found out...she will become heartbroken.

The clown is pulled from her thoughts when Zach calls her by name. "Aren't you going to the elevator, Baby?" he asked. She looked to where he was pointing his flashlight to find the Bidybabs already waiting for her in front of the vent. Impulse nearly makes her go over to join them, but a thought kept her in place.

 _Zachary will die if he goes alone..._ It's an undeniably morbid fact. They won't give him a chance to even say a peep, let alone believe him. They're not evil, they never wanted to hurt anyone at all. It was conditioned fear and fabricated promises of freedom that drove them to such lengths. But maybe she could go with him... Again, she really should have thought all of this through.

"Bitty, Biddy, go without me. I'm staying here to help."

Zach perked in alarm at this, and expected the Bidybabs to do the same. The twins are surprisingly ok about it. They didn't overreact and beg like most would if their loved one was staying behind. Instead they were understanding, or Biddy appropriately was. Bitty was happy to not have an adult around them and ran over to give Baby's leg a hug before disappearing down the vent. To this, Baby sighed for what had to be her hundredth sigh of the night.

"Please look after your sibling." she told the dexterous twin.

"Okay." they replied bluntly.

Baby knit her brows sternly. "And promise me you won't try to choke each other, too."

"Yes Miss." The toddler rolled their eyes like a developing teen.

Baby watch the Bidybab off down the shaft before turning back to Zach and seeing his smirking expression. "What's that look for?" she asked.

"'Miss'?" he repeated.

"Nickname." she quickly explained.

"Quite the nickname. I was expecting them to call you Mom, or something along those lines." He walks over to her and swept his flashlight over both windows. "Who do you suggest seeing first? You know them after all."

"I don't really see myself being a mother." It doesn't take her long to think of who. "Ballora. We'll have a better chance of getting through to her, and the Minireenas."

"All right. Are you sure?"

"Yes. Ballora and I have always been close. I know she'll listen once she knows I'm really there."

Zach suddenly got goosebumps. "Which reminds me..." He removes his cap to run a sweaty hand through his hair. "Who, or what, was that talking in your voice?"

Baby tensed at the dreaded question and hugged herself for comfort as she stared out the window to Ballora Gallery. "Remember... Remember when I compared technicians to walking pints of ice cream?"

"Yes." the man nodded slowly. "You also mentioned something about being opened and scooped for a kid on their birthday... What are you trying to say here?"

"The one who was speaking in my voice would be the "birthday kid"." She gives him time to let it sink in.

The color in Zach's face drained, it hits him like a bat to the face. If Baby hadn't caught him last night, he would have ended up like the others before him. He would have listened to the voice and hid under the desk like told. Who knows where'd he be in the next three days now. Baby did mention that he would die if he stayed for the entire week.

Shaken by this revelation, he changes the topic. "Let's not keep Ballora waiting." he said. He then gets on the floor and enters the vent first.

Baby followed quietly behind. Hopefully he won't ask any more questions for now. She wanted to get her family and herself as far away from this place as possible, and fast. Her absence, along with Zachary and the Bidybabs, won't go unnoticed for long. When **he** realizes it, **he'll** go mad. No - above that. If there is anything above anger, it would be that.

When entering the gallery, Zach realizes just how big it really was. The air could literally be heard moving around in a low, never-ending rumble. Other then that, it was dead silent. Anyone could drop a pin and it would sound louder than a nearby explosion.

" _Is someone there?_ " a woman's startled voice echoed from the darkness. He gasped softly and Baby's eyes moved wildly around the room. She then softly grabs Zach by his shoulder and pulled him close.

"Keep your light on the floor." she spoke lowly. "We don't want to startle her."

The voice drops into a sinister tone. " _I can hear an imposter in my room._ "

"Ballora?" Baby called. Zach grunted in protest, but was silenced by a firm squeeze on his shoulder. There's a long, pondering pause, that dragged on for what felt like eternity. Never once in his life would he be fearing for his life from a ballerina.

Footsteps approach them softly from the front, shadowed by bells jingling like it's Christmas Eve. Baby stood motionlessly, bracing herself for whatever comes next. It's been so long since she last spoke with the ballerina in person. The humans always separated all of them during delivery and at the parties, preventing any kind of social interaction. Only a few spared glances are sent when they are sure no on would notice. The last time she got a good look of Ballora she looked drained. Not because of the parties, but many anxiety-induced nights.

That was a month ago.

Ballora stops not far from them, the flashlight glinting off the swaying gold bells on her tutu. She doesn't notice Baby right away as she tilted her head in Zachary's direction. "You're early. They've never come early before. I don't know how you have managed to mimick Circus Baby, but that won't help you tonight I'm afraid." She slowly raised her hands, long fingers bent like claws. She adds in a comforting voice, "Just...pretend this is all one big bad dream, and you're about to finally wake up from it."

Blue eyelids fly open to reveal angry purple eyes as the ballerina let out an inhuman sound that would send anyone running for the hills. She takes one powerful with her legs and lunged forward as Zach let out a panicked cry.

"No!" Baby screamed and, in her panic, threw herself in front of the man. "He is here to help, Ballora! He is not here to hurt us!" she exclaimed.

Ballora lands on the floor in front of them, fingers still bent stiffly. She put on a dawning look as her eyes wordlessly fell on the young woman shielding her prey. Has she finally lost her mind to this accursed place? Shakily, she reached out her hand to lightly graze the clown's painted cheek with her filed fingertips. She felt too good to be true.

"Circus...?" she asked, voice shaking with emotion. It's when Baby leaned into her touch, placed her hand over her own, that all fear of this being an illusion melted away.

"Ballora, he is here to help us..." she finished, resting her free hand on the ballerina's shallow cheek. The young clown is quickly pulled into an embrace: Ballora was taller than her by two feet, so the ballerina had to bend down to fully wrap her in her long arms.

"You've grown so much..." she whispered with a smile.

Baby smirked softly. "Sorry for taking so long, and you're still a tree."

Ballora laughed and shedded a few tears. "Oh, Circus. I've missed you so much. I thought he would have been scooped after what you did."

The younger shook her head. "No. He would never do that and you know why." Ballora frowned and tightened her hold protectively. "But there's no need to worry about him anymore, Ballora. We're going to be free tonight." she then added to lower the tension.

Ballora pulled back and noticed Zach watching them silently. The man felt a little out of place being around them, and thought about giving the two some privacy, until Ballora laid her attention on him again. "This man... He's helping us?" she asked, sounding almost stunned by this. She glares at him, adding in a cold voice, "But he's shocked me, and my Minireenas, more then once."

The rookie trembled under her purple glare, struggling to form words out of his mouth. Thankfully, Baby spoke up in his defense. "He had no choice, Ballora. The only way he could progress was that he followed orders. He's sorry about it." She turn her head to him next. "Right?"

Zachary bobbed his head vigorously. "I really am sorry for causing you and your Minireenas any pain." _Please don't kill me,_ he nearly said aloud.

Ballora still stared at him with distrust, but softens her expression. "...All right." she said softly. Her focus shifts itself back to Baby. "How did you get out?" she asked softly. Baby shook her head and broke their hug.

"I will tell you once we're away from this place. Right now I need you and the Minireenas to go and join the Bidybabs in the elevator. We don't have much time until the power returns."

The ballerina suddenly looked very hesitant. "But what if..." she was afraid, afraid of the repercussions of getting caught. Not by humans, but by **him**.

"I know you're scared of him. I am too." Baby said, comforting the older android. "But you can't let it stop you. This is our one shot of getting out of here together. We'll...We'll have to leave him behind. I'm sorry Ballora. I understand he's your-"

Ballora whimpered loudly enough to stop her from finishing, a stray tear running down her cheek. **He** would never let them leave, unless it was **him** breaking them out. No matter how hard they - she tries - to get through to them, nothing will make him see otherwise. She nods her head understandingly to Baby, and takes her hands into her own for reassurance. When Baby squeezed back gently, she felt hope - real hope - that everything was going to be all right in the end.

"I understand. Thank you, Circus." she said, nodding her head. "I'll go fetch the Minireenas then."

"Please hurry." Baby whispered as she watched her off. She heard Zachary shift beside her, scratching the back of his head.

"Huh. That went easier then I thought."

She shoots him a knowing look. "Let's hope the others are the same. Myles has a tendency to hold grudges very easily, and Francis has few loose screws in him."

"Myles? Francis?" He's never heard of those animatronic before.

"Funtime Foxy and Funtime Freddy. Myles is a name Funtime Foxy gave himself, Francis is a name the others gave Funtime Freddy." She casts a semi-hopeful smile. "Hopefully a good first impression will convince them to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Zach shifted nervously beside her. "I'll try not to do anything that would make him want to kill me." he muttered under his frown. A thought suddenly comes to mind. "Hey, wait a minute. I only saw Funtime Foxy in Funtime Auditorium. Come to think of it he was the only one even acknowledged."

Baby suddenly whirled around, her skirt and pigtails flying. Her face wore a look showing something keenly that resembled fear. He heard the rising panic in her voice as she spoke frantically. "What do you mean you only saw Myles on stage? Are you sure you didn't see anyone looking remotely like a pink and white bear with a small blue rabbit looking over his shoulder with him?"

"No?" He gives her a confused look. "Why are you worried? He couldn't have gone anywhere far."

"You don't understand!" Baby cried, clutching her head. "If he's not on stage then it can only mean he's-"

A loud distinct noise suddenly draws the attention of both Baby and Zach over to a spot on the other side of the room. Zach raised his flashlight and lands it on a door labeled "Breaker Room". Plastered conveniently on the front, like a foreshadow hidden in plain sight, was a poster depicting a robotic pink and white bear with a rabbit hand puppet. To add insult to injury, voices could be heard loud and clear behind it.

"Hey Bon-Bon! I heard Baby yelling outside!" gasped a tremulous male voice.

"I don't hear anything, silly. Go back to sleep." yawned a second voice that comes out as sounding high-pitched.

"But I heard her!" the first argued, followed by a loud stomp. "I'm gonna go see if it is, and if it is, I'm gonna say 'Ha! I told you so!' in your blueberry face!"

Listening from her stage, Ballora softly sighed. "Oh stars..."

Shuffling fabric is heard. "Francy. I don't think that's a good ide-"

The door flies open with unrestrained force. There in the doorway, foot taller then Baby, but a foot short of Ballora, stood a flat-bellied pink and white bear in clothes that look like they'd been thrown on in a hurry. Tufts of white fur were standing around areas of his head that made it look as though he woke up with a bad case of bedhead. He is quick to spot the shape that had his flashlight trained on his face, recognizing it to be-

"HEY BON-BON! I think the "birthday boy" has come early for his surprise!" the bear shrilled in a high a voice. He doesn't wait to hear another dismissive response as he began running straight into the light, laughing wildly.

Zach doesn't think to move, standing forzen in dormant fear, watching the bear's shadow stretch across the wall as he drew nearer. Time seem to suddenly go slow for him as his imagination went to work creating nightmares out of his surroundings. Ballora isn't quick to jump off stage to stop the bear, Baby doesn't think fast to shove the petrified man out of his path. He thought he saw a wide grin stretch across the massive shadow as it enveloped the last rays of light in his hand. Sharp teeth. Ravenous eyes. Becoming helpless prey under a minute. He's dreamt of the day when the monsters who took his brother would also come for him. He could feel their knifelike teeth sink into him now-

"NO FRANCIS! HE IS HERE TO HELP US!" Baby screamed loudly, snapping Zach from his brief trance to feel a powerful force barrel into him at great speed.

He got run over by a bike before in the fifth grade that ended with him getting a cracked rib and some bruises. This collision now is nothing like that, nothing like that at all. But it gives him a moment to go over one thing before he is swallowed up by the floor.

He should have thought this through.


	4. Chapter 4

**I owe you guys/gals/yeses an apology - this took much longer to make than intended. Writer's Block and revisions are a b*tch, coupled with real life problems and papers and exams and *cough* Bendyandtheinkmacine. I hope this little chapter was worth the wait (sorry if it's bad). Also I recently finished the semester for the year so I should (hopefully) have more time to write :3**

 **Thank you again for your continued patience and support!**

 **Trigger Warning:**

 **Implied Abuse**

 **-Physical**

 **-Psychological**

 **X.X**

Zachary landed hard on the floor. Pain floods his skull and back in sharp throbbing jabs, and spreads throughout his body, latching on barbs. He hears a laugh and looks up to meet the manic blue gaze of his furry attacker now standing over him.

"Gotcha birthday boy!" Francis declared triumphantly

Zach narrow his eyes in annoyance, and whispers something profane that gets him a fist around his neck. Francis' smile reached his eyes as he wagged a finger and tutted, "Ah ah! Language like that isn't tolerated here, mister! We are a "kid-friendly" company, and insulting a performer of Circus Baby's Pizza World can't go unpunished!" He taps the side of Zach's head and snickers when he shoots him an irritated look. Francis then furrowed his brow when his demeanor takes a turn South. He brings their faces closer causing Zachary to look at him with widened eyes.

"I bet it was **you** using _her_ voice earlier." he whispered to him accusingly, his voice laced with an uncharacteristic coldness that sends shivers down his captive's spine.

"W-what? No! She's really-"

"Do you humans like seeing me go crazy trying to figure out if what I'm hearing is real or not?! Is that it? Is shocking us not _amusing_ enough for you anymore!"

"BABY IS WITH US!" Zach kicked his feet wildly, hoping to land a blow somewhere, and started scratching at his thick furry fingers as he tried prying them off. "And how in the world would I be able to mimic anyone's voice, when I clearly don't have a damn device on me that could!"

The way Francis' grip instantly slackened at his words, and how his eyes flickered to look off to the side, meant he had taken his words into thought. He said nothing to him, and instead started clicking his tongue as he processed the question in his head. The paw he had holding Zachary down came to rest on his own left thigh, where he began drumming his fingers thoughtfully.

Seeing a window of opportunity, Zach began pushing himself down the floor with his hands. Francis - somehow but thankfully - couldn't hear him dragging across the floor. Hell, he was surprised the guy didn't even see him; not that he's complaining. When a pair of hands suddenly grab him by his ankles, he nearly gasps aloud. He looks down and is met with Ballora glaring sharply at him. She pressed a finger to her lips in a "shh"ing gesture. After Zach nodded his head in confirmation, she swiftly pulls him back.

 _That_ got Francis' attention. With a resounding "Hey!" he spun around to catch him. He barely has an idea on where to grab him when Baby throws herself between them having jumped seemingly from out of nowhere.

 _About time you showed up,_ Zach thought.

"Francis it's me! I'm really here! He's not tricking you!" She stood with her hands outstretched in front of her to stop him. Her ability to still sound calm despite her posture saying other wise, was admirable at best. "The technician is not here to hurt us. His name is Zachary, he's a friend to us."

Francis scratched his head at her, looking comedic doing so. "I'm confused right now. Are you really in front of me, or am I seeing things." It'd be of no surprise to him if Baby were to suddenly disappear into thin air instead of answering the question. The technician bit was new, but he'll just take it as a another sign of how hopeless he's become. Heck, how she's looking at Ballora right now almost has him convinced.

Baby looked at Ballora confused, and a bit disheartened. Her brain struggled to take in her friend's new and distressing behavior, refusing to accept that it was coming from Francis. They both knew Francis, but Baby knew him a little more personally. He can act a bit questionable at times but that was part of his personality. The fact that he asked such a question hurt more than words can describe.

"Francis, I'm right here." She grabs his paw roughly without meaning to. "See?"

Francis' eyes lowered slowly to their joined hands. Her hand felt heavy - _real_ \- in his paw. The air between them smelled faintly of strawberries and vanilla, and it tempted him to bury his entire face in her hair just so he could get a better smell of that sweet red fruit. It takes all of his self-control to keep his paws at bay.

The gloves are a cause for concern. He knows right away that they don't belong on her. Baby never used to wear gloves, but this particular pair made him irritated seeing them on her. All he wanted to do was rip them off and tear them to ribbons.

"I'm here Francis don't you see?"

"Oh I see."

Baby is pulled into a bear hug. She made a surprised squeak as she was pulled to recline against his body, with her head coming to rest on his chest. Due to his larger height he had to bend his knees slightly and almost curl his entire body over her's. Her hands instinctively reach to grasp his shirt like it were a lifeline, no different than how a child would when being picked up. Her nose caught a light whiff of vanilla, which his fur often smelled of. It makes her think of birthday cake, so she buries her nose in his chest, and inhaled deeply. It doesn't take long until one of them gets the waterworks and starts shedding tears. Francis had his face hidden in the crook of her's neck, and was weeping quietly.

"I'm sorry, so sorry. I was afraid you weren't real."

"Why would you think that?" she asked quietly, shedding tears herself. Francis only shook his head and hugged her tighter.

"No. No...- I can't talk about it. I'm sorry."

The tremble in his voice gave Baby an uneasy feeling, but she nods in understanding, and doesn't press the subject further. They part a few minutes later. Francis is smiling again, though a few drops of tears still clung to his lashes.

"So you wanna tell me what the hecking heck is going on here?"

Baby is cut-off before she can get a word out. All eyes dart to the ceiling as a voice penetrated the darkness like a clap of thunder.

 _"Thank you for your patience. It seems that the power can not be restarted automatically. You will need to restart the power system manually. Please return to the primary control module."_

"Circus Baby?" Zach directed his attention back to her after noticing her body start to tremble. She had her head down, eyes focused on nothing, and was hugging herself loosely as though showing she was cold. He would have thought it was only that if he didn't know any better. The others drew their attention back to her as well. Francis gritted his teeth when he saw the human rest his hand on her shoulder to start rubbing it.

"Hey, don't go leaving us now. You're not alone in this. We'll figure something out." Zach said soothingly.

After saying nothing for a long time, Ballora chimed in. "You're trying your hardest to get us all out. It's okay."

Baby lifted her gaze and sighed. "I'm sorry. It just feels like nothing is going right tonight for us. I just want to get us all out before-"

"Wait. We're breaking out of here?" Francis suddenly piped up, but is unfortunately answered by HandUnit's painfully optimistic automated voice when it blasts in their ears again.

 _"You will now be required to crawl through Ballora Gallery to reach the Breaker Room. It is recommended that you stay low to the ground, and reach the other side as fast as possible so to not disturb Ballora. I will deactivate myself momentarily, as to not create an auditory disturbance. Deactivating."_

Baby sighed, pinching the ridge of her nose as she did. "Yes, and Zachary here is our ticket out. As long as he's still breathing, we have a chance."

"So... I _don't_ have to try and kill him?" His question is answered by a unified "YES" so loud, so raw, the force of the volume nearly knocks him off his feet. It left the throats of Baby, Ballora, and Zachary feeling painfully sore. "I was only being rhetorical! Yeesh! My ears are ringing now."

Zach looked at him and rasped, "Good."

"We NEED him, so that we can LEAVE." Baby swore her head was going to explode in any minute. As much as she loves Francis - like a brother - he can get on her nerves sometimes.

"And what's gotten all of you so riled up about HandUnit? I mean I know he's annoying as heck, but why the hysteria?" Francis eyed specifically at Baby as he asked, and the clown promptly lowered her head.

It's Ballora who answers him next. "We now have no way of leaving because the vent doors are now locked."

"The power outage is what allowed me and Baby to get here in the first place." Zach chimed.

Francis' eyes twinkle in understanding now. "Well gee willikers! How come I haven't heard the vent door close behind me, then?" Confused, the trio peer around him. Their eyes quickly widen in astonishment when they see the still gaping doorway of the vent.

"But...how?" Ballora whispered.

"You seriously don't know, Ballora? The doors don't lock on the outside 'cause they're running on a generator."

Amazement glittered Baby's eyes. "How do you know this?"

Francis puffed his chest and answered smugly, "Bon-Bon and I found out ourselves. We noticed the vent would never close when a Technician was in Funtime Auditorium during an outage. So, we came up with a theory, tested it, and as it turned out, we were right!" He then scoffs, sneering "The humans don't want us to escape, yet they do this kind of thing. Hah! Stupid is what they are."

Zach decided not to respond to that. "If you already knew all of this, then why haven't you tried escaping before?" The question sounded more like a heckle than anything. Before Francis could even think of a answer to give, his thoughts are interrupted by the voice of HandUnit blaring through the hidden speakers in the ceiling.

 _"It seems you are taking a long time. Please proceed as quickly and as quietly as possible."_

Annoyed, Francis snaps at it like a dog owner yelling at their pet. "SHUT UP!"

...

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Not a squeak, not a gasp, not even a cry, was heard beyond the gallery window. Minutes suddenly felt hours as he waited to hear the relentless struggle of a man fighting for his life. The longer the silence lingered in the air, the more unsettled he became. He looks over his shoulder at the stage hoping it would reassure him somehow.

She too has been quiet since his arrival, which was normal coming from her. But... she's never been this quiet before. He silently wondered to himself if he had maybe, just maybe, cracked her spirit into submission. Perhaps their earlier confrontation had been her breaking point, and has finally learned her place. If he had any lips left, they'd be smiling right now. He had to give her credit for fighting for as long as she had. Her feisty flame managed to stay lit despite everything that was thrown at her by the humans, or himself - she only has herself to blame for his outbursts towards her. It kind of - _**is**_ \- her fault they're trapped here in the first place.

He turn away from the window to saunter over to the stage, with his metal joints groaning in protest. He climbed, careful as to not make too much noise that would alert her, and approached the old sheet she hid under. It'd been a very long while since he felt calm enough to do this. He reached for the hem of the sheet intending to only pull it back enough to see her face, wanting a moment to see it without there being tears or blood, and catch a fleeting glimpse of who he once was to her.

Something flickered across his eyes. A fondness, twisted beyond reasoning, and deluded.

 _It's not my fault they're in pain. They'll be look back, and they'll thank me for what I did._

As soon as he grabbed the cheap material, the feeling he had at the window returned. It's only now he just realized how truly quiet everything was. Not even her own light breathing could be heard under the sheet.

She would know better then to...

She would know better.

She. Would. Know. _**Better**_.

He literally tears back the sheet-

Circus Baby is intelligent as she is naive. Soon everything came together like one of his old puzzle portraits - the silence was loud in his audio receptors. Of course there isn't a struggle going on in the gallery. No one's even there. He let himself get tricked into thinking it was really her sleeping on stage and not old pillows hastily thrown in to give the appearance of a shape.

He _**screams**_

...

All movement in Ballora Gallery came to an abrupt halt at the resonate sound. Comparing it to a dying animals cry would be an insult. There was no humanity, no grief. Just _anger anger anger._

Baby is the first to shake off her shock. Hiding her panic she calmly addressed Francis and Ballora to go and retrieve their respective subordinates. "Zachary will wait with all of you in the elevator. Hopefully Myles and I will already be there when you arrive." The two older androids nod without question and disperse. Zach cocked his brow at her, and folded his arms over his chest.

"Pardon my French Baby, but what the hell are you doing? I thought we were getting your friends together."

Baby gave an apologetic look. "I'm sorry it's so sudden, but I feel safer having you wait in the elevator with everyone while I'm gone. That way if something ever went wrong, I won't worry as much because I know they're someplace safe with you."

Zach's face softened, but he wasn't dropping things just yet. "That makes a whole lot of sense, but how would I know to leave if something ever went wrong?"

"To answer your question: if Myles joins you without me following behind, **leave**." Zach would later swear he saw her eyes go dark near the end of her answer. "And to ease some personal tension, you will have to ask a password to be sure it's really _him or I_ in the vent."

"Got any ideas for one?" Zach licked his chapped lips, picking up the coppery taste of blood that was seeping out cracks in the skin.

Baby nodded her head. "Vanilla."

"I don't know why you chose a flavor for a password, but I'm not gonna question it."

Baby smiled a little at the dry humor. Something tells her Myles is going to get along great with the Technician. The last time she managed to have a conversation with the fox was when they were both placed in the same truck for transport months back. It was a relief for both of them, especially Myles. The way his face brightened up realizing he would be sharing his space with her for the long ride to the party matched her's and the Bidybabs. It was great being able to catch up with her old friend/caretaker.

"I best not keep Myles waiting." she hummed as she turned to leave.

"Will you be fine without a flashlight?" Zach asked as he followed her to the vent. She paused halfway knelt on the floor. Her eyes aren't bright enough to see faraway in the dark. She would have to rely on hearing to get around Funtime Auditorium. Like Ballora Gallery, it would be her first time entering the room. It shouldn't be any different from Ballora's, right?

Zach takes her silence as her answer, and added, "You can try checking the drawers in the Primary Module for a spare. You should find one there."

"Advice appreciated and taken." Baby shot the man a final smile before entering the vent.

Zachary cracked a lopsided smile and watched her leave. The girl certainly has a charm about herself. He stands straight and turns on his heel, with checking on Ballora in mind. Like something out of a cheap slasher flick, he is startled when his light catches Francis standing close behind him.

"God you almost gave me a heart attack!" he gasped with a hand over his chest.

Instead of feeling ashamed, Francis laughed and gave him a slap on the back. "Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna try and kill you anymore." He wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to his side much to the man's annoyance. "I just wanted to tell you how very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very sorry I am for trying to kill you fourteen minutes ago."

"Seventeen actually." Zach corrected.

Francis tilted his head, "That long?"

"Well, it would have been shorter if you hadn't come running at me like maniac."

"Oh yeah! Your reaction was hilarious HAH HAH HAH HAH!"

Zach felt a vein in his forehead twitch as his ears started ringing from the unnecessary loud volume. He almost thought about pushing himself free, but he didn't want to risk angering the android bear in the process.

"Anyway, I'm very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very sorry for trying to kill you." The one arm around the shoulders quickly turns into a literal bear hug. Zach had the air knocked out of him as he was lifted off the ground and squeezed like a favorite stuffed animal or doll. Francis didn't seem to notice his discomfort, or if he was just ignoring it that prick. He did look fully content in trying to hug him to death.

"Put the man down right instant, Francis!"

It's Ballora.

Zach closed his eyes. _Thank God._

Ballora took calm strides over to where they stood. In his darkening vision, Zach made out four small shapes trailing close behind her. When she stops in front of him she's giving Francis a look Zachary knows he's seen his mother wear whenever she confronted him about his bullying or grades.

With both hands on her hips, she asked in her lilting voice, "Shouldn't you be retrieving Bon-Bon from the Breaker Room?"

Francis grinned sheepishly, his eyes drifting to the side in guilt. "I just wanted to apologize to the Birthday Boy for scaring him! Right buddy?"

"He can't speak when you're suffocating him." Ballora creased her forehead in worry.

"Pfft! I knew that."

Francis released Zach from his grasp, letting him fall to the floor. Relief came to the man in long intakes of sweet, sweet, oxygen.

The ballerina nodded in approval. "Now go to the Breaker Room, don't take too long in there."

"Yes _mom_." Francis rolled his eyes at the older android and left.

Ballora shook her head at the bear, then turned her concern to the gasping man on the floor. Her little girls peeked curiously around her legs, studying him through their grinning masks. They haven't had human contact up close in a while - contact that didn't involve murder. After several dry coughs, the man wobbly got back on his feet.

"Do you need some assistance?" Ballora asked gently.

Zachary shook his head now panting. "No thanks. I just need to not move for a bit and let my brain settle. I have a headache the size of Kansas right now" he chuckled. One of the girls - one with her hair done in twin buns - giggled quietly. His eyes fall on her quickly and she joined her sibling in hiding herself behind Ballora again.

"Who are the kids?" he asked, giving a nod to the quadruplets.

Ballora smiled a motherly smile and softly chuckled. "These are my Minireenas - come out my girl. It's very unladylike to hide yourself in front of a guest." She looks down at the girls from boths sides as they slowly walked one by one to line up before him. They mirror each other's movements, arms flat by their sides and head craned back. Unlike the Bidybabs, they were a little easier to tell apart thanks to their different hairstyles.

Ballora starts from the right, resting her hand on the shoulder of girl with her hair done in a long ponytail. "This is Dahlia." she stated proudly. Following her introduction Dahlia gave a small bow that Zach found cute. Ballora moved her hand to the next girl. Her natural blue hair was done in a bun similar to Ballora's. "This is Clover." The sibling gave a small wave. The next girl had her hair done in two pigtails, like Baby's. "This is Violet." She stares at him with her arms crossed, nothing more. Ballora shot her a look before resting her hand on a small girl with the twin buns last. "And this is little Lily." Lily gave a shy wave before quickly retreating back behind Ballora.

Zachary crouched down in front of them, taking care not to scare them with his flashlight. They study each back and forth. He tries not to laugh out loud when one of the girls reached out to touch his stubble in clear interest to feel the texture. When pulling her hand back, she began whispering inaudibly to her sisters with the hand she felt him with in front of her. Three hands were now upon to rub and feel his stubbled cheeks. He was sure the sight would make for a photo to share around on social media. Ballora didn't think so.

"No no no. Don't do that. It's rude." she chided, taking their curious hands off of him. The girl bowed their heads in unison and Ballora tsked in disapproval.

"That was...interesting." Zach did his best to ignore the lingering feeling of their touch on his face, scratching his stubble as he stood straight. Ballora sighed.

"My apologies. They always get curious when they see something that's new to them, regardless whether or not it's human."

"Don't worry yourself. It's nice to know some people appreciate my stubble." He smiled sheepishly to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, uh, thanks for helping me back there, too. I thought I was gonna suffocate to death."

Ballora smiled warmly. "You're welcome. Francis can be a bit, in lack of a better word, misunderstanding sometimes." She sighs over in the direction of the Breaker Room. "Let's hope being out of here will make him change for the better."

"What were you planning on doing when you got to the surface?" Zach queried, leaning on one foot. He was genuinely curious to know. How was an animatronic android ballerina suppose to survive in today's world? She looked completely human, no hint of mechanical parts to be seen.

Ballora takes a long while to respond. She tapped her bottom lip with her long finger as she pondered up at the ceiling. Finally, she just shook her head in defeat. "I'm afraid I don't have any answer to give. I never thought the day would come when my family would finally be freed from this horrible place to think about what I wanted to do once I was out."

Zach nodded his head in understanding and didn't press the question further. "I'm sure once you have time to get used to the surface again you can start thinking about what you want to do. There isn't much for someone with your case, but I'll help if you need me."

Ballora gave him smile, but looked ready to cry. "You're a good man, Zachary. You're different from the other technicians that have been here before you."

Zachary sagged his shoulders at the compliment. "Oh, uhm, thanks, I guess..." He felt ashamed. He did not deserve to be called a "good man". Despite everything he's done, he was no hero.

Francis joins them minutes later, looking a lot more cleaned up in appearance. A small top hat sat crooked between his ear, and his white tail coat looked like it was hastily thrown on, like his button-down shirt. Something was also situated on his shoulder - a small blue rabbit in overalls sat on his shoulder like he belonged there. He shot him a quizzical look upon seeing him standing with Ballora unharmed, but chose to say nothing, and nestled closer to his companion's fur for warmth.

"Is that everyone for this room?" Zach asked.

"Yep!" Francis replied. "We're all that's here."

"Ballora?" The ballerina nodded her head in confirmation. "Alright. Let's get you guys out of here then."

 **X.X**

 **I was gonna press forward and finish with them escaping, but I felt like it was dragging on, and this seemed like a good place to stop :p Next chapter should be the one where they FINALLY get out. Then we can get into the domestic, healing, and Zach becoming a dad to eleven animatronics :3 And we also met Ennard! Or sort of an introduction I guess.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The rewrites for this were unreal. Sorry if it seems rushed and full of exposition (which most of it is admittedly). A lot of...pretty emotionally draining stuff's been going on in my life. And procrastination, lots and lots of procrastinating.**

 **X.X**

After finding her way to Funtime Auditorium, Baby approached the lone show stage in the back, where immediately called out to its only remaining resident.

"Myles? Are you there? It's really me, Circus Baby." Baby kept her flashlight pointed at the curtains, and only a minute later, saw a pair of gloved paws poke out from the middle and part them. A well-dressed fox emerged from behind them in response to her fervent calls.

Myles looks down at her, one arm raised over his face, and wary eyes squinting in the harsh glare of her flashlight. When he heard her voice call for him from the darkness a conflicted expression had fallen over his face.

Seeing him, Baby calls out his names elated, and it comes out sounding like a breathless gasp. "M-Myles!"

Slowly, Myles lowered his arm to just about his snout. He studied her shape standing behind the light, taking a good, long look, before whispering in disbelief, "Baby?"

The memory of their reunion in the back of their shared delivery truck came to mind, appearing out of nowhere like a sudden storm on a clear day. How overjoyed they both were when they realized that they would be traveling together. How Myles had pulled the Bidybabs and Baby in for a hug as soon as the truck doors closed. How the four of them sat there, in the dark, for heaven knows how long, crying together and hugging like it was the end of the world.

Baby walked closer and he sees every detail of her face. From her apple green eyes filled with tears, down to her quivering lips that were spread in a big smile. He climbs down from the stage and looks her up and down.

His breathing hitched, "It _is_ you."

"Myles..." Baby whispered, as a tear rolled down her cheeks.

The two smiling animatronics embrace, holding the other tight in their arms. Baby slid her arms around the fox's midsection and nuzzled her face into the front of his dress shirt, familiarizing herself with its silky softness. Myles tucked her head under his chin and choked back a sob, making a muffled sound in her hair when one slips from his muzzle. Baby could only hope her shoulders wouldn't hurt the next day, his grip is bone breaking.

The two of them break away and Myles gave her a quizzical look. "What the blazes are you doing here?" he asked, sounding stunned by her being in the room.

"For you!" Baby replied, laughing a little.

"Me?"

"Yes! Myles, we're leaving this place. All of us are!"

Myles quietly murmured to himself, "All of us..." His face lights up in realization. "You mean the others are..."

Baby bobbed her head several times. Surprise flickered across Myles' face and he looks at her not knowing to believe his ears or not.

"You're bluffing." he deadpan.

"Would I ever bluff you over something like this?" Baby replied, tilting her head one side and smiling at him.

Myles lowered his gaze a moment. He shakes his head and let out a laugh of disbelief while smoothing back the tuft of fur between his ears.

"H- _How_?" he whispers.

"The newest technician. I him met yesterday and he said he would help us." Baby grasps his free paw, prompting Myles to raise his head and look at her, lifting a brow.

"Eggs... Benedict?"

Baby gave his arm a playful slap. "His real name is Zachary. Don't tell me you really thought it was Eggs Benedict."

"Of course not! Who am I? Francis?" Myles booms in his showman voice, which brought out a giggle of amusement from Baby.

Both animatronic froze, slightly startled by the happy sound. They looked to each other, as if in complete disbelief by what they'd just heard. Real laughter not from a human child, but one of them - had it been anyone other than Baby, the reaction would have been no different.

"We shouldn't keep the others waiting." she informs in a timid voice, breaking the silence.

She quickly turns on her heel, red skirt flying around her like a blooming flower. When she glances over her shoulder to see if Myles was following she is surprised to find him still standing in the same spot, having never budged a muscle.

He looked to be in deep thought over something. His furrowed eyebrows and downward stare indicated he was thinking very hard, and it wasn't until Baby called out to him again that he snaps out of it.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked, staying where she was.

Myles, stiff as a board, ignored the question. "What about..." his voice cuts abruptly, like someone had suddenly tore out his voice box. He tries forcing words to come out, but all that does are grunting sounds that end abruptly. Slowly raising his snowy head, he looked at Baby with water gathered in his eyes, again. Confusion, fear, and frustration, they were all Myles could feel, could show, for he was unable to think of the right word that describes all three together.

But Baby understood him. She understood the moment she heard the first two words of his question tumble out of his quivering maw. That he could not, for some reason, call **Him** by hisreal name, like saying it would somehow draw him to them. Baby couldn't remember the last time she used his real name let alone hear it come from her own tongue. There was a time, she knows, in another life, where she didn't fear calling him by his real name. A part of her can't help but wonder if he even remembers what his real is anymore.

"No, Myles, he's not coming... He's not coming." she replied, voice cracking. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she quickly brought the tip of her right thumb into her mouth and bit down on it lightly.

Myles doesn't let his relief show at the response. Right now, every cell in his body is screaming, leaping, rioting with joy. He wanted nothing but to let out a big sigh of relief right then and there. The fox quietly walked across the room to where Baby stood with her thumb between her teeth and looked at her, unsure of how to respond, until he found his voice again.

"Still hanging on to that old habit, huh?" he chuckled half-heartedly. Baby doesn't shoot him a remark, and instead removed her thumb from her mouth, head lowered slightly. "I haven't seen you do that in a long while," Myles continued, "Biting your thumb like that."

Baby stared down at the thumb she was biting, studying it like it was something that held value. Her teeth hardly broke through the glove cloth let alone break the skin underneath. There wasn't even a mark, only two light indents that were her front teeth. Deep down, she wished she had been able to break the skin. It would have given her an excuse to shed a few tears, as ridiculous as it sounds.

"You could say some habits die hard," She smiles sardonically to herself. "We should get going."

"Right." Myles nodded his head.

The fox could hardly believe it. This is really happening, he is really going to leave this place tonight, with all of his family already waiting for him. The moment is...strangely bittersweet. As bad as this place was, in a way the stage was sort of like a home to him. Not to say he is going to miss it, but it would be a while until he got used to not having to worry about the floor suddenly lighting up with electricity, or getting a surprised visit from... **Him.**

...

 _Motion Trigger: Breaker Room_

The Breaker Room wasn't anything impressive. All the machinery and thick cables made the room feel small and packed. In the back, a single fluorescent light flickering and sparking ominously over what looked like a makeshift sleeping area made up of shirts, work uniform shirts to be precise - some of them looked like they had stains on them, but Zach didn't linger his gaze too long to be sure.

 _"You may now interface with the breaker control box. Using the interface may disrupt nearby electronics. If you feel you are in danger, feel free to disconnect the interface temporarily, until it is safe to reconnect."_

"That sounds...fantastic." the man sighed out loud as the door behind him closed with a loud slam.

Zach walked up to the breaker box, which was mounted on the wall in front of him, and opened it. A tablet-looking device suddenly comes tumbling out surprising Zach into quickly walking back two steps, watching it bounce on one edge before landing screen-first on the metal floor.

"Nice." he said under his breath.

He can only imagine the number of times this thing has landed on itself because somebody was too startled to catch it right away, or they were in a hustle putting things away and didn't stand it up properly. By now it's safe to assume these sort of things tend to happen a lot in a job like this. He picks up the device and examined it under his flashlight. He found not a single crack on the screen, which was a bit surprising since there didn't look to be any screen protection on it.

Zach studied the screen, squinting his eyes. The screen was fuzzy with static, and a low buzzing sound was being emitted from inside. It was a lot like watching television on a boxed TV in the late '90s all over again. On the left was a row of six buttons screaming "restart" in all caps, with the names of rooms labeled above. On the right, done in white line, was an outlined map of the underground facility. The squares distinguished to be room had bright red ribbons in them - obviously important.

"How the hell do I restart these?" he grumbles to himself, brows creased in concentration. He taps the button labled "Elevator" more than once until the tip of his index finger began to sting. It's when he carefully searched the screen itself that he spots a small line of text in the upper left-hand corner, gray and a little hard to see in the static foreground.

"Oh, here we are: 'Click and hold to restart systems.' Gotcha."

Zach pressed down on the Elevators button, and this time kept his finger there. The button changed to green with numbers inside that went up every blinking second, beeping as they did. It takes only a minute for the numbers to reach one hundred, or in this case ONLINE. Zach let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he read the glowing green letters on screen.

 _Huh, that was easier than I thought it,_ he thought with mild smugness. Without giving the rest of the task any thought, he placed the tablet back in the breaker box and proceed for the door. It's when he turns to face the door that HandUnit decided to startle him over the speaker.

 _"You must reboot power to all the named rooms you see before you can leave."_

Rolling his eyes uncaringly, Zach walked over to the door. He saw no point in continuing his job now that the lift was operational again. They probably would ask him to come in tomorrow night anyways to pick up where the "intruder" left off due to being a mechanic - and apparently their only one - despite his "flu". Zach cringed slightly at the idea, and reprimands himself internally for not using the "family emergency" excuse. He was nervous and blurted the first thing that came to mind. He would have to put on a convincing act and make it sound like he was sick if he didn't want to be put under immediate suspicion.

He was just about to grab for the handle when he was halted by the thing that came next out of the speaker.

 _"You will be unable to leave if you do not complete the task given."_

Crap. He hadn't thought of that.

Zach turned around, walked back to the box, and took the tablet into his hands. "Big company, but can't afford one backup generator." he grumbled under his breath.

As he started on the next room, the door handle started turning behind him. The door opened and Zach froze, not daring to turn around or stop what he was doing - it's too late for that anyways. He listened, with bated breath, the door slam close by itself, and followed with what sounded like footsteps coming in his direction.

"...Zachary?"

Zach recognized the voice and breathed a sigh of relief. "Baby, you almost scared me."

"I'm sorry. Bad habit." Baby apologized in a quiet voice.

"I'm almost done here, just have three more rooms left and we'll be off."

"Oh, that's wonderful."

"So did you find your other friend? Myles or something."

Baby doesn't answer right away. Likely she was processing the question and its meaning. Although he only knew her for a short time, Zach finds the pause a little unusual for someone as eager to leave like her. It takes her a minute to respond.

"Yes. He is... _very_ enthusiastic."

"I wonder why," he said, with a hint of harmless sarcasm in his voice. If he wasn't so concentrated on his work, he would actually be looking at her while talking. The sound of her voice is reassuring enough - ignoring the emphasis on "very" - for him not to steal a glance over his shoulder. He hears her walk slowly into the room behind him. Her footsteps sounded oddly slow and forced like there were dumbells tied on either side of her ankles.

 _She's probably tired,_ he tells 's voice booms through the speaker causing Zach to raise head from the tablet, slightly annoyed.

 _"Great job. This completes your tasks for this night. Please proceed back through the Ballora Gallery with care, and we'll see you back here tomorrow."_

Zach breathed a sigh of relief at the news and set the tablet down, he was done. A glance at his watch shows that he has been here for three hours. He runs a hand through his hair, wincing when his fingers accidentally brush the bump he'd gotten early that night. He let his hand fall limply at his side as he turned around to face Baby.

"We're all set t-" He cuts himself off abruptly, staring in bewilderment at the door in front of him.

His brain goes haywire, confused at being unable to comprehend the sight with Baby's voice still very fresh in his memory. The room suddenly feels smaller. His heart is a lot louder than he remembers it sounding. Zach points his flashlight left: nothing. The light lingers on the spot for a minute, before sharply darting right, across the wall, only to land on an empty corner and wiring.

Zach starts laughing nervously, a tremble in his voice. "I must be losing my mind,"

He tightens his grip on his flashlight; he needs to leave, now. Something isn't right here and every fiber of his body is telling him to look nowhere else but forward. He approaches the door like it were a wounded animal, taking slow-moving steps and only using his nose to breath. When he was close enough - felt he'd gained that wounded animals trust - he extends his free hand to the silvery handle with caution. He saw his warped reflection in it's surface and paused to study it.

An indistinguishable tan smudge, half obscured by the glare of flashlight. Zach furrowed his brow and peered down closer, squinting his eyes. There was a second, smaller smudge on the handle and by the tip of his left shoulder. This one was white, and was aware from the glare. He straightens, tell himself it's nothing, and reached for the handle. He was about to close his hand around it, ready to leave, when Baby spoke from somewhere in the room.

"Why didn't you listen to me?" The way she spoke reminded Zach of a small child. Hurt, confused, and unable to understand. Zach couldn't stop himself from feeling a bit guilty, but for what he didn't know. There's movement in the darkness, like metal rubbing on metal. "You should have listened to me, _Zachary_ ," there's a bitter edge when she says his name, "It's how the game is supposed to go,"

Zach slowly glanced back down at the handle, and his breathing caught in his throat. The second smudge is now gone.

Something falls to the floor behind Zachary. The man turned around, unsure of what he would find, and suddenly found himself wishing he'd just gone out the door instead. His body goes completely rigid, his blood ran cold. The flashlight he'd been using for the entire night slides out of his hand. No effort it made to catch it, and it clatters loudly on the floor.

"God..." whispered Zach shakily, craning his neck back slightly.

The door opens- "Hello? Is there a 'Zachary' here?"

Zach didn't hear what was being said, could did tell it was a new voice judging by the lack of familiarity in his name when spoken. He sounded like a '60s radio host talking over a microphone, probably reading from a sheet of paper handed to him by someone working at the same station. For a moment, he forgets what he's looking at, and gains enough control in his body to let out the terrified scream he didn't know he was holding.

He is yanked out of the room into Ballora Gallery by his jacket collar and discarded on the floor. He sits dazed for a moment on the floor, now out of breath from screaming, before a pair of four-fingered hands yank him up by his arm. The radio host voice yells close to his ear for him to "hurry" and "run". His thoughts don't have a chance to catch up to him, and he's running sluggishly bad enough that Myles has to put the man's arm around his shoulders to support him.

About halfway, everything comes rushing back to Zach by an inhuman scream that startles him out of his dazed state. He realizes he was being supported and quickly gathered his bearings. In a matter of minutes he's pumping pumping his legs like an Olympic track runner and able to match the speed of the white fox who, he realizes, just saved his life.

Reaching the vent the two wasted no time getting down on all fours. Going on survival instincts and adrenaline, Zach clawed his way to the end of the vent, and into the green tint of the Primary Control Module - he never thought he'd be happy to see it again. He is about all the way out when a pained scream draws his attention back to the vent. He pushed back the door only to have his wrist instantly grabbed by the fox, who looked at him with wild yellow eyes.

"G-go to the lift," There pain in his voice, losing its radio host timbre and replaced with something more...real.

Zach stumbles with an objection that formed on lips but stopped when the grip on his wrist tightened to where bruising was sure to happen.

"I will be r-right behind you. GO!"

The raise of volume is all the conviction Zach needs. He gave the fox a final look, nodded his head, and darted across the floor to the elevator vent. Ignoring the pain forming in his palms he pushed himself in the darkness, guided only by the light at the end leaking from under the door. Occasionally small shadows would pass it, and when he got closer, muffled voices could be heard. The vent door opens behind him. Zach swiveled his head over his shoulder to see before cursing loudly in pain when he forgets about the door and crawls into it.

The vent door opens, revealing a familiar round face with big round eyes.

"Did you really crawl into the door?" Biddy asked, tilting their head.

Zach managed a groan in response.

Biddy shuffles left to allow a second, much smaller face to join them. "Zachary?" It was Baby, the _real_ one. Her eyes were red and puffy like she'd been crying, but there was a smile tugging on the corners of her lips. She extends her hand in a helpful gesture and Zach accepts without argument, and allowed himself to be pulled out of the vent and onto his feet.

"Are you all right?" she asks him worryingly after seeing the lack of color in his face and disheveled appearance.

"I was in the Breaker Room, there was something- _God,_ " Zach buried both his hands in his hair, "I thought it was _you_."

"T-that's impossible. I've been here since I found Myles."

"Where _is_ Myles?" Francis asked from his cross-legged position on the floor, Bonbon curled in his lap sleeping. .

"Wh- oh, him! I thought I heard him behind me..."

The vent door flops open. All eyes in the lift quickly fell on the spot, as a snowy, disheveled white head poked out. Weary yellow eyes look up expectantly. With a weary smile of his own, Zach offered his hand to the fox, which he took gratefully.

"Thanks..." he murmured to Zach after being pulled out.

"Don't mention it."

The squeaking sound of dry hinges reached the elevator. Without wasting another minute, Zach went over and slammed his hand over a large red button causing the lift doors to rattle to life. Baby and her family watched the doors close in front of them in silence, all of them seeming to be holding their breath. A minute later, the lift started it's ascent. Without warning, Ballora's legs gave way under her, and she collapsed to her knees. The Minireenas quickly gathered around their mother figure as a choked sob left her painted lips.

Myle's legs gave out as well, and he fell flat on his rumph. Unlike Ballora, he propped his elbows on his legs and simply buried his face in his paws. No more than two seconds later Francis is crawling over to his side, with Bonbon cradled in one arm, and silently laid his head on his shoulder to stare vacantly at their reflections in the elevator wall.

Zach watched Baby kneel down to the Bidybabs' level and collect both twins into her arms. She hugged them close as both twins started crying into her shoulders, offering them reassurance while rocking them gently, before looking back up at Zach.

Baby stared at him for the longest time, tears glittering her eyes. Her lips part, words already sitting on the tip of her tongue. "You saved us..." She almost didn't believe her own words until she looked around the lift at her family, coping in their ways, and then back up at Zach. Her brow relaxed, and a small laugh burst from her lips.

"You saved us," she repeated in a breathless whisper. "Thank you..."

Zach swallowed a knot that formed in his throat and smiled lopsidedly. He decided not to tell her "Don't thank me yet", or mention the hour-long drive they had ahead that would require them to stay as low as possible until they left town and onto the backcountry, where he could hopefully that same isolated rest spot to screw back in the license plates before continuing towards home.

Home - he is going to need a lot more than just popcorn to eat when he gets back.

The lift gave a jolt as it slowed to a stop. All heads turned towards the door - Zach lowers the rim of his cap to hide his face - as it slide open to reveal the very empty front lobby. In front, two sets of double sliding doors beneath a wall made of rectangular window, and beyond, the first sign of autumn in the light of a glowing white moon.

 **X.X**

 **THEY'RE OUT. THEY'RE FINALLY OUT. IT TOOK AN ENTIRE YEAR BUT THEY. ARE. OUT.**

 **A friendly reminder that there will be no shipping between Zach and the gang. His relationship with Baby and co. is purely platonic; I'm not even joking. For once I am actually not writing a shipfic.**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading/reviewing and I hope you have a wonderful day/night wherever you are! :D**


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